Metroid Dread is the first 2D sidescrolling entry in the Metroid series for almost twenty years. The latest adventure of Samus Aran is breaking sales records, with scores reflecting this much-awaited return to the franchise's classic form. One of the big things about its rekindled gameplay is its suitability for speedrunning. Sure enough, within just a day or two of the game being released, players dedicated much time and effort into completing it at breakneck speeds, setting new records and kickstarting a host of other fans who want in on that action.
Metroid Dread is certainly not unique in its appeal to runners, it is simply just one of countless games that get the speedrunning treatment. Fans across the globe will no doubt be clamoring to try their hand at beating the game in the quickest times possible, and with the best strategies they can come up with. What MercurySteam's Metroid title does, in its own way, is speak volumes about the speedrunning community on the whole.
Speedrunners Are Quick
It goes without saying that doing a speedrun is all about going fast. Even some of the hardest games are not immune to speedrunning, but gameplay aside, those who choose to run a game as quick as possible are not just quick in terms of how fast they can get to the credits. They are, by virtue of their overall attitude, quick in setting the standard for new game speedrun tactics.
As evidenced with Metroid Dread, certain players cannot wait to get to grips with the game, playing through it the first time before deciding they are going to challenge themselves to beat, or perhaps set, the record. Within 24 hours of the game coming out, people were already starting to upload videos of their attempts at finishing the game as quickly as possible. The fact that this Metroid entry lends itself to speedrunning possibly inspired first attempts, but the fact remains that speedrunners have a serious goal in mind and are seemingly eager to get going on finding tactics that others can use down the line.
The Speedrunning Community is Thorough, Yet Efficient
One thing that's apparent about the speedrunning community is its use of a particular vernacular only known to those who run or watch runs. "Strats" is one, which, for those who don't know, is short for "strategy" and refers to a technique utilized during play. When trying to speedrun something like Mario, runners have no time for terms with lots of syllables. Another one is "RNG" which is short for "Random Number Generator" and essentially just means luck. Another is "iframes" which means "invincibility frames," referring to those brief moments when a player takes damage and is invulnerable. There's a host of other examples.
All these terms create a certain efficiency to speedrunning, with its own coded language that references numerous aspects of what it means to run a game. However, efficiency does not mean cursory, as speedruns are often very thorough. The first Portal game is still run despite being 14 years old, and new strategies are still being discovered. This thoroughness means precious seconds, or frames, can be shaved off as new ways to beat sections become the gold standard. While some current Metroid Dread runs are sitting pretty around the hour-and-a-half mark, as time goes on this will no doubt become quicker as the through nature of speedrunning works to continue breaking world records.
Speedrunners Challenge Themselves
It's inevitable that speedruns will eventually fail. There is an enormous amount of time and dedication that goes into a successful run, whether it breaks a record or not. The community is not only constantly challenging itself, but is also bound by a unified end. There is a kind of competitive nature to players wanting to beat other people's times. However, it's all moving toward a common goal, and each individual person that manages to get the fastest time will have the knowledge of others to guide them through - as well as hundreds of hours that have been put into the game. Then there are those who want to take things an extra step.
Recently, a Minecraft fan managed to complete the game in thirty minutes while blindfolded. This is a challenge that is seemingly becoming more popular. The speedrunning organization Games Done Quick popularized blindfold runs as a subcategory, encouraging players to give themselves a significant disadvantage by relying on audio cues and muscle memory to finish a game rapidly. Performing a speedrun, especially one that's being streamed live, is hard enough, but to do so without being able to see is a level of difficulty that makes speedrunning ever more impressive.
Speedrunning is Charitable
Speaking of the Games Done Quick brand, speedrunning is a challenge that brings players together, and it often goes beyond simple bragging rights. There is a charitable arm to speedrunning in which viewers can donate to numerous charities throughout an event like Awesome Games Done Quick.
Last year, Summer Games Done Quick raised a whopping $2.3 million for charity. As of this writing, Metroid Dread has not been run at a GDQ event, but will no doubt appear. On that stage, runners will get to test out their strats live on air, challenge themselves to either beat the world records or smash their own personal bests, and make a difference. It shows that the speedrunning community is not only gifted in its efforts, but there is a greater goal in mind that often transcends personal achievement. With it already being so popular, Metroid Dread has the potential to be a significant part of a community that marries the thrill of a good speedrun with the generous nature of charitable donations.
Metroid Dread is available now on Nintendo Switch.
